Did Ye Hear Mammy Died?

A Memoir

De: Séamas O'Reilly

Narrado por: Séamas O'Reilly

A heart-warming and hilarious family memoir of growing up as one of eleven siblings raised by a single dad in Northern Ireland at the end of the Troubles.

Séamas O’Reilly’s mother died when he was five, leaving him, his ten (!) brothers and sisters, and their beloved father in their sprawling bungalow in rural Derry. It was the 1990s; the Troubles were a background rumble, but Séamas was more preoccupied with dinosaurs, Star Wars, and the actual location of heaven than the political climate. ­

An instant bestseller in Ireland, Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? is a book about a family of loud, argumentative, musical, sarcastic, grief-stricken siblings, shepherded into adulthood by a man whose foibles and reticence were matched only by his love for his children and his determination that they would flourish.

“In this joyous, wildly unconventional memoir, Séamas O'Reilly tells the story of losing his mother as a child and growing up with ten siblings in Northern Ireland during the final years of the Troubles as a raucous comedy, a grand caper that is absolutely bursting with life.”―Patrick Radden Keefe, NYT bestselling author of Say Nothing and Empire of Pain One of NPR’s Best Books of the Year

©2022 Séamas O'Reilly (P)2022 Little, Brown & Company

Incredibly Well Written!

I left Ireland as a child and now live in the US. The humor and cynicism in which the Irish tell stories is unsurpassed. The author is a fabulous wordsmith!

Loved this

Thoughtful, funny, tender - really enjoyed the author reading his own material too. I really recommend this!

Raised by Dad Club

I’m really glad I listened to Seamus’s book. I also lost my mom to cancer as a child and I’ll be recommending it to my younger brothers, who were 5 and 2 at the time of her death. It’s a small club of us who were raised by single fathers and despite many differences in our families, there were also many similarities. Much love to Seamus and his family for sharing their story, grief, humor and healing.

Best childhood memoir ever

I too lost my mom early and came at the end of a family of six. The author touched me in a way on this subject that I hadn’t really encountered before—with incredibly gifted and well earned humor. A must read. And listening to him read it was quintessential to the whole experience. Although, I have to admit, for the first time ever, I actually began to slow the recording to catch ever word. Utterly charming and oftentimes hilarious, yet poignant and achingly real.

Dang it, Seamus.

Being of East Tennessee parentage and Irish descent, the humor and grief was so familiar to me. It was akin to sitting at the misfit cousins’ table at a large family gathering. Beautifully written and read witness of a family knitted together in wonder and loss. A warning, though: do not be changing the kitty litter whilst reading the acknowledgments. You’ll find yourself in an urea and saline situation that is also a tragedy/comedy.

Delightful

Beautiful memoir. So touching. Wonderful tribute to his dad. Wish I could write like that!

Great book

Really enjoyed the storytelling, humor and sincerity of the author. Great observations on the Irish worldview

beautifully written & fantastic humor

One of the best books I've read in a long time! Loved the humor and the descriptions of everything. Will even listen to it again!

awesome

fabulous memoir so rich and eloquent.

I'm glad I bought it so I can listen over and over.

Funny irish history

Coming from a big half Irish family I can relate and found lots of humor in a tragic tale of sorts but that’s just so very Irish. I shall pass it on to friends and family